MUMBAI: Hema Sardesai, the singer who stole a million hearts with her 'Awaara Bhawrein' number years ago, will release her next album this Navratri.

“This is a devotional album with a modern touch. It has the newest form of music,” Hema Sardesai told Radioandmusic.com. Sardesai released her last music album Sajnaa in 2013 and released her last song, a recreation of ‘Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Rey’ along with Bappi Lahiri, in 2014. The singer is keenly interested in the Art of Living, an educational and humanitarian movement, founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is possibly this association that has inspired her foray into the devotional genre.

Other than Lata Mangeshkar, Sardesai was the only female singer to perform at the celebrations for the 50th year of India's Independence Day on 15 August 1997. She won the Grand Prix Award at Germany during her early days and she also won another international award, the Unicef International Contest of Music in Yugoslavia. In the Indian music industry, she is recognised for her Bollywood movie songs.

Sardesai has been a part of this industry for nearly two decades now. Talking about her journey, she said, “It was amazing all the way through. As I didn’t have any musical background, my family, friends and teachers showed me the way where I am today.” During her heyday, Sardesai cut several popular Indipop albums and has sung playback songs for over 60 Bollywood films.

While talking about the progress and change in the Bollywood music scene, she said, “Technology is the biggest enemy of culture and Indian classical music is the crux of the whole music industry here. So many talented artists are performing these days. I feel extremely happy about the fact that a lot of new talents are in the making and people are getting the opportunity to set off on a career in music. However, it is equally painful that technology is ruining the music industry and anybody can be a singer these days just because of the apparatus available. Trained, first-rate singers are being sidelined and non-singers are getting so much attention. We have to grow more when it comes to honest music companies and record labels,” she signs off.

Watch the superb song from Ashoka, sung by Hema Sardesai

San Sanana - Asoka

This song too:

Apun Bola - Josh